It’s hard to believe I have only been here a week. I’m already catching some of what my family says to each other in Kiswahili, mostly among the siblings. Since I last posted, Winny left for boarding school. Edwin leaves tomorrow, which is disappointing because I have only really talked to him once. Sure, I had to bribe him with the gift of a Costco sized bag of Hershey kisses, but it was a start. Giving my family the bag of Hershey kisses as a homestay gift was a great idea. All the kids kept stealing the bag and hiding it. Stacy, who is the smartest little girl I have probably ever met, hid them under my pillow because she knew Edwin wouldn’t go into my room. That was surprising when I went to lie down.
Even better, I have found something I am useful for in my home. Maggie does the cooking and Winny did the dishes. Now that Winny is gone, my Mama Betty let me do the dishes, but reluctantly. However, while I was cleaning the rice pot, I heard her scream and run away from the back door. Sitting in the threshold was an itty bitty slug, but as far as Mama Betty was concerned it was worse than a snake. For a whole two minutes I was a hero as I swept the little slug out of the doorway and down the alleyway. So that is now my job at home. Slug remover extraordinaire. Everyone has to have a calling.
Baba Andrew has also come home. He was not here this past week due to a hip replacement. I met him last night. He’s on bed rest for the next two weeks so I’ll definitely see him a lot. I know when my grandma got her hip replaced Shikira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” was the theme of her recovery period. I don’t think it will be as culturally acceptable here… “Nyanya” is the word for “grandma” in Kiswahili. It also means “tomato”.
Tomorrow we’re visiting an NGO in Kibara, Kenya’s largest slum. More to come.
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